OPM, Police Join Efforts to Promote Security in Karamoja

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has partnered with the Uganda Police Force (UPF) to construct and equip seven community police posts and staff quarters with an aim of improving safety and security in the Karamoja Sub-region.

The facilities have been constructed in the districts of Abim, Amudat, Karenga, Kotido, Moroto, Napak and Nakapiripiritunder the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU), a government programme supported by the European Union and supervised by OPM.

Each of the new seven facilities houses a fully furnished administration block, four self-contained cells to replace the bucket system, solar system, and rainwater harvesting system, and has been provided with two motorcycles to facilitate officers’ transport. In addition, a borehole has been built to serve both officers and the surrounding communities in each of the targeted districts.

At an occasion to handover motorcycles to UPF, at Naguru Police headquarters on Thursday, Mayanja Gonzaga, the Commissioner for Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Governments at OPM, who represented the Permanent Secretary, Keith Muhakanizi, said the establishment of the community police posts will increase the footprint of police and promote peace and security in Karamoja.

“I am happy to report that the selection of the police sites was carefully done to consider economic and security concerns in the locations. These police posts will be very important for ensuring the security of traders and the movement of goods/services in the area," he said.

The Head of the Section for Sustainable Development at the European Union Delegation to Uganda, Nadia Cannata, stated: “We are aware that stability and security are preconditions for the social and economic development of the sub-region. For this reason, over the years we have continued to support the UPF in Karamoja to fulfill its mandate to protect the communities.”

Maj. Gen Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, the Deputy IGP, who represented the IGP, Martins Okoth-Ochola, stated: “The UPF would like to thank the European Union and Office of the Prime Minister for continuously supporting police over the years, especially in the Karamoja Sub-region. The intervention has greatly enabled UPF to have tremendous achievements as far as enforcement of law and order is concerned.”

Last year, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) awarded contracts worth Shs4.8b to seven firms to construct the police posts and accommodation facilities in Morulem in Abim District, Alakas(Amudat), Lokori (Karenga), Nakapelimoru (Kotido), Nakiloro (Moroto), Apeitolim (Napak) and Namalu (Nakapiripirit). In addition, more than 500 officers were trained in community policing, human rights, and management of gender-based cases to improve their capacity to serve better.